Means to vary the impact of the printing element in typewriting machines



Aug. 18, 1936.

F. SPALOSS MEANS T0 VARY THE IMPACT OF THE PRINTING ELEMENT IN TYPEWRITING MACHINES Filed Nov. 28, 1952 s snags-sheet 1 Aug 18, 1936. sp oss 2,051,112

MEANS T0 VARY THE IMPACT OF THE PRINTING ELEMENT IN TYPEWRITINQ MACHINES k r 3 Filed Nov. 28, 1932 5 Sheets-Sheet 2 I Q g INVENTOR Frank Spq/oss.

Aug. 18, 1936. F. sPALoss 2,051,112

MEANS TO VARY THE IMPACT OF THE PRINTING ELEMENT IN TYPEWRITING MACHINES- Filed Nov. 28, 1952 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 n1 n'n nu FITII II II I Ill zmm'ok frank Spa/ass %M ATTORNEY Patented Aug. 18, 1936 MEANS TO VARY THE IMPACT OF THE PRINTING ELEMENT MACHINES IN TYPEWRITING Frank Spaloss, Hoboken, N. J asslgnor, by mesne assignments, to Ralph C. Co ihead Corporation, New. York, N. Y., a corporation of Delaware Application November 28, 1932, Serial No. 644,587

21 Claims. (Cl. 197-49) This invention relates to improvements in typewriting machines and more particularly to means to vary the impact of the printing element.

It is herein illustrated as applied to the Varityper machine in which the printing element is the hammer and cooperates with any one of a plurality of replaceable type carriers or shuttles, one at a time, each shuttle having a font of types thereon, the types of the various shuttles being of different styles and the type faces having larger or smaller areas, the hammer being actuable by power means comprising a spring; each font of types also including upper and lower case types. The invention is in the nature of improvements which may be used with the invention illustrated in the application of Frank H. Trego, Ser. No. 399,732 filed Oct. 15, 1929, now Patent No. 1,- 918,300 dated July 18, 1933, in which provision is made to alter the impact of the hammer by varying the force of its actuating spring; two setting devices being provided in said invention, one for the purpose of varying the force of the power means in accordance with the area of the type faces of various type carriers, the other device being provided to vary the power means in accordance with the thickness of the work-sheet, or pack of work-sheets. These adjustments of the hammer spring have been made to produce uniform shade of typing not only on the carbon copies but also on the original sheet.

An object of the present invention is to produce a greater percentage of uniformity of the shade of typing.

To this end provision is made to further vary the force of the power means so as to compensate for the difference in the areas of the type faces of upper and lower case types on the same shuttle. In carrying out the invention, two springs are provided to constitute the power means for actuating the printing element or hammer, a primary spring and a secondary spring; the primary spring being settable to compensate for the types of different shuttles and to compensate for the different thickness of the work-sheet; the secondary spring Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the machine partly in section; 1

Fig. 4 is a skeleton side view showing the shuttle shifted to its upper case position and the power means for the hammer adjusted by the case-shift 5 mechanism;

Figs. 5 and 6 show modifications of the lever operable by the case-shifting means to vary the force of the power means; and

Fig. 7 is a detail view showing the sub-lever, to which the hammer spring is connected, in its operated position.

Similar reference characters represent similar parts throughout the several views.

The machine includes a main frame It] having 15 a track ll upon which a carriage 12 travels back and forth through the medium of anti-friction balls or rollers l3; the carriage being provided with a grooved bar l2 to engage said balls. T0 guide the carriage at the top it is provided with a bar M which is held against one or more rollers l5 by a guard or bracket l6 secured to the machine frame.

The carriage is urged in a letter space direction by the usual spring drum, not shown, connected to said carriage by a strap l'l. Its letter space movements are controlled by escapement mechanism, indicated generally by the numeral l8, which is operated at each operation of any one of the key levers I9. I

The escapement l8 includes an escapemen wheel l8 secured to a shaft supported on the main frame 19. Pinions 2|, 22 and 23 form part of a sleeve 24 which is connected to the shaft 20 by means of an internal pawl and ratchet, not shown. A rack 25, supported on the carriage, may engage with any one of the pinions to rotate the escapement shaft in a clockwise direction, Fig. 2.

The escapement wheel I8 is normally held by a stepping dog 26 pivoted by a stud 21 on a frame 28, the latter having an arm 29 engaging a stop 30. Upon the actuation of any one of the key levers IS a universal bar (not shown) is actuated thereby. The universal bar has a rearwardly ex tending arm 3| (Fig. 2) which moves downwardly and engages an inwardly projecting finger 32 of a dog rocker 32 to actuate the latter in a clockwise direction about a pivot stud 33, to thus carry a holding dog 34 into the path of the adjacent tooth of the escapement wheel l8.

The dog rocker is also provided with an arm 35 having a slot 36 into which extends a pin 31 from the loose dog 26 whereby the loose dog is swung out of engagement of the escapement wheel; the

dog carrying frame 28 being connected to a printing hammer 38 by means of a stud 38 to be actuated thereby during a printing operation of said hammer whichis actuated in a manner hereinafter described. Upon the release of the dog 26 from the escapement wheel it is carried upwardly by the action of the hammer on the frame 28, and the pin moves upwardly in the slot 36. Subsequently the dog rocker 32 is brought back to normal, upon the return of the arm 3|, to first swing the stepping dog 28 into the path of the next tooth of the escapement wheel and then disengage the dog 34 from the escapement wheel, whereupon the escapement parts and the printing hammer 38 are restored to normal as indicated in Fig. 6.

The printing instrumentalities include a type carrier or shuttle 48 having a row of lower case types or small letters 4 I, a row of. upper case types 4| or capital letters and a row of types 4| of figures and symbols. The hammer 38 is provided with a head 42 which may cooperate with any row of types to print on an interposed work sheet 43 which may be fed in a line space direction by feed rollers 44 and 45 supported on the carriage -|2. The shuttle 48 is curved to conform with the shape of a cylindrical anvil 46 upon which it is detachably supported for replacement by another. It is actuated about the axis of said anvil in the usual manner by the key levers to set the selected type at the printing point.

The types on the shuttle 48 may be small and narrow so that there may be when printed, sixteen to an inch on the work sheet. Another shuttle 41 has types 48, 46 and 48 thereon. These types may be broader and higher than those of the shuttle 48, so that there are about ten to the inch. These shuttles may be substituted one for the other as desired and may be brought into cooperation with the hammer by means .of a finger piece 48 whereby the anvil 46 may be rotated to carry the desired shuttle to its operative position.

The printing hammer 38 is secured to a rock shaft 68 supported by pivot screws 5|! on brackets 5| of. the main frame I8. Upon the release of the hammer, by disengaging the stepping dog 26 from the escapement wheel, it is actuated by power means including two springs 62 and 63 connected to arms 54 and 55 respectively of the hammer 38, said springs being adjustable, in a manner hereinafter described, to vary their force and thus change the impact of the hammer to produce uniformity of the shade of typing.

The letter spacing of the carriage may be changed at will in accordance with the different sizes of types to be used. For this purpose there is provided a variable feed mechanism like that disclosed in the application of Frank H. Trego Ser. No. 361,899 filed May 10, 1929, now Patent No. 1,918,299 dated July 18, 1933. This mechanism includes the pinions 2|, 22 and 23 which are or the same pitch but of diiferent diameters, and

are engageable by the rack 25, one at a time, to feed the carriage in accordance with the desired letter spacing.

To set the machine for the desired letter spacing of the carriage there is provided a handle or finger-piece 56 to a rock shaft 61 which has an arm 58 to lift the rack 25 out of engagement with the active pinion through the medium of a rack holding lever 69 pivoted by a stud 68. The rock shaft 61 is then moved axially to shift the pinion element 24 axially of the shaft 28, through the medium of a lever 3| pivotally supported by a stud 82 on the main frame, to thus bring the pinion, corresponding to the desired letter spacing, into cooperative relation with the rack. A return spring 83 connected to the handle 68 is then permitted to rock the shaft 61 back to normal, thus permitting the feed rack 26 to drop into engagement with the selected pinion.

To assist in selecting the pinions there is provided a fixed indexing plate 84 having slots 86, 88 and 61 into any one of which the handle 86 may be moved, designations "10", 14 and "16 being opposite the slots 66, 86 and 61 to indicate the number of letter spaces to the inch.

To maintain uniformity in the, shade of typing irrespective of the shuttle being used, which requires a variation of the impact of the hammer in accordance with the area of the face of the type, the force of the power means is varied by the setting means of. the variable spacing mechanism. Tothis end there is secured to the shaft 67 a collar 68 having a pin 88 extending downwardly therefrom into a slot 18 of a lever H to actuate the latter about a pivot 12 on the main frame l8 while the shaft 61 is being moved axially. The lever 1| has pivotally connected thereto, by a. stud 13, a lever 14 to actuate the latter about a stud 15 to vary the force of the spring 62, said spring being connected to an car 16 of a sublever-11 pivotally supported by a stud I8 on the lever 14. The sub-lever 11 is normally arrested against the lever 14 by a stop 18 so that under certain conditions the sub-lever 11 acts as an integral part of the lever 14 while the handle 66 of the setting mechanism is being moved from slot to slot of the index plate 64.

The power means for the hammer may also be varied in accordance with light 'work such as ordinary letter writing, for medium work such as one or two carbons, and for heavy work such as a great number of carbons or stencil work. To this end there is provided an arm 88 secured to a rock shaft 8| suitably supported on the main frame. The arm 88 is slightly resilient so that it may be moved laterally out of any one of suitable notches 82, 83 and 84 of a fixed index plate 85 and into any one of the other notches corresponding with the kind of work to be done by 7 machine.

As the arm 88 is actuated fore-and-aft of the machine, a downwardly extending arm 88 also secured to the rock shaft 8| moves a connecting bar 86, to actuate the lever 14 about the stud 13, through the medium of the stud 16 which is secured to the rear end oi the connecting bar 88 and engages in a slot 81 of the lever 14. Thus, the force of the spring 82, which is connected to the lever 14, through the medium of the sub-lever I1, is varied, as in Fig. 7, by the manipulation of the settable arm or finger-piece 88 to vary the impact of the hammer as required for the kind of work to be performed. I

Under certain conditions, depending upon the set position of either of the finger-pieces 88 or 88 and upon a movement of the other, an adjustable screw 88 on the sub-lever 11 may engage a projection 89 on the main frame to swing said sublever about its pivot 18 to assist in adjusting the spring to vary its force in accordance with the required blow of the hammer.

As previously stated each shuttle is provided with lower case types 4|, upper case types 4| and figure and symbol types 4|". It should be understood that ordinarily the shuttle is set so that the hammer head 42 cooperates with the row of lower case types 4|. The other two rows of types may be rendered eifective, selectively, by the usual case shifting mechanism which includes two sets of shift key levers, one set at each side of the machine and each set including a capital shift key lever 90 for the row of upper case types 4i and a figure shift key 9| for the row of types The shift key levers of each set are loosely supported on a rock shaft 92 which is mounted in the sides of the main frame I and they are operable against the action of return springs 03. The downward movements of the shift key levers 00 and SI are limited by stop screws 94 and 90 respectively, and they rock the shaft 92 through various angular distances, determined by the stop screws 94 and 95, arms 96 being secured to the rock shaft 9|, each having an engaging portion 91 thereon extending under the key levers 00 and III of each set. The rock shaft 92 has also secured thereto, at the middle of the machine, an arm 98 the rear end of which, while the rock shaft is being operated, pushes upwardly on a post 99, upon which the anvil 46 is supported, to carry the shuttle 40 upwardly therewith, a distance depending upon the shift lever operated to position the 'desired row of the types 4| and 4I opposite the hammer head 42. The post 99 is guided, for its up and down movements, in a plate I00 and a cross bar ii. The usual shift lock (not shown) is used to hold either one of the shift keys in its depressed position at will; one form of shift lock being shown in the patent to Lopez #1,131,640 dated Mar. 9, 1915.

To vary the force of the power means, by the case shifting mechanism, to alter the impact of the hammer in accordance with the difference in areas of the faces of the upper case types 4| and lower case types 4| on the same shuttle, there is provided, on the arm 98 of the case shifting means, a pin or projection I02 which engages with a cam I03 of a lever or bell crank I04 to rock the latter to the position in Fig. 4, about a pivot stud I05 on a bracket I06 secured to the main frame I0. The cam I03 is provided on one arm of the bell crank and the other arm thereof is connected to the spring 53, of the power means which operates the hammer, to vary its force and thus vary the impact of the hammer in accordance with the area of the type faces in the various rows of types on the shuttle. It will be understood that in Fig. 4 the shuttle is in its upper case position. It will further be understood that when the shuttle is shifted to render effective the lower row of types 4I ,.which are small types like the types M of the upper row, the pin I02 rides ofi the cam I03 to a contact portion I03 of the lever I04 to accordingly decrease the force of the spring 53 of the power means.

Sometimes the rows of types are arranged differently with respect to each other on the shuttle as for example, the types of the two lower rows may be large and those of the upper row may be small. Accordingly the bell crank I04 (Fig. 5) may be provided with a raised dwell IIO upon which the pin I02 rides after it leaves the cam I03 so that the force of the spring 53 is greater when either of the two rows of larger types is used.

In another arrangement of the types on the shuttle those of the upper row may be large characters while those of the two lower rows may be small characters. For such an arrangement the bell crank I04 may be provided with a depressed dwell 0 beyond the cam I03, to be engaged of printing instrumentalities including two elements, namely an anvil and a hammer to cooperate therewith, operating means to actuate one of said elements against the other, a type shuttle on said anvil, said shuttle being replaceable by another type shuttle having types in which. the

areas of the printing faces differ from those of the types on the first mentioned shuttle, means to vary the force of the operating means to vary the force of the actuable printing element in accordance with the group of types of the shuttle in use, and means to further vary the force of the operating means in accordance with the size of certain types of each group.

2. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including two elements, namely an anvil and a hammer to cooperate therewith, operating means to actuate one of said elements against the other, a type shuttle on said anvil, said shuttle being replaceable by another type shuttle having types in which the areas of the printing faces differ from those of the types on the first mentioned shuttle, means to vary the force of the operating means to vary the force of the actuable printing element in accordance with the group of types of the shuttle in use, means to vary the force of the operating means in accordance with the thickness of thework sheet, and means to further vary the force of the operating means in accordance with the size of certain types of each group.

3. In a typewriting machine, the combination with printing instrumentalities including two sets of types, the printing areas of the types of one set differing in magnitude from those of the types of the other set, and some of the type face areas in one of said typesets varying in magnitude from the other types in the same set, power means to effect the printing of said printing instrumentalities, and means to cause the power means to cooperatewith either set of types, of means to vary the force of the power means in accordance with the set of types in use, and means to further vary the force of the power means in accordance with the various sizes of the types in the single set.

4. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including two elements, namely a settable type carrier and a hammer to cooperate therewith, means including a spring to actuate one of said elements against the other, case shifting means for the printing instrumentalities, and means operable by the case shifting means to vary the force of the spring to thus vary the force of the actuable element.

5. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including two elements," namely asettable type carrier and a hammer to cooperate therewith, power means including a primary spring and a secondary spring to actuate one of said elements against the other, means to vary the force of the primary spring to vary theimpact of the actuable printing element, case shitting means for the printing instrumentalities, and means operable by the case shifting means to vary the force of the secondary spring to further vary the impact of the actuable element.

6. In a typewriting machine, the combination with a printing hammer, two type shuttles to cooperate therewith, one at a time, each shuttle having a set of types, the printing areas of the types of each set being different than those of the similar type of the other set, each set including also upper and lower case types, and case shifting means, of power means comprising a primary spring and a secondary spring .to actuate the hammer to-print against the shuttle, means to vary the force of the primary springto vary the impact of the hammer in accordance with the set of types in use, means to further vary the force of the primary spring to vary the impact of the hammer in accordance with the thickness of the work sheet, and means operable by the case shifting means to vary the force of the secondary spring to alter the impact of the hammer in accordance with the facial area of upper case or lower case type. I

7. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a settable type carrier, a hammer to cooperate therewith to print on an interposed work sheet, a spring to actuate said hammer, case shifting means for the type shuttle, and means operable by the case shifting means to vary the force of said spring to alter the impact of the hammer.

8. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a settable type carrier, a hammer to cooperate therewith to print on an interposed work sheet, means including a spring to actuate said hammer, case shifting means for the type shuttle, an anvil to support said shuttle, a rod to support said anvil, case shifting means including a rock shaft and an arm on said rock shaft to engage said rod, and a lever operable by said arm to vary the force of said spring to alter the impact of said hammer.

9. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a settable type carrier, and a hammer to cooperate therewith to print on an interposed work sheet, means including a spring to actuate said hammer, a lever to vary the force of said spring, case shifting means for the printing instrumentalities, and a cam on said level to be engaged by said case shifting means to actuate said lever.

10. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a carriage, printing instrumentalities, power means to actuate the printing instrumentalities, means to alter the extent of letter feed movements of the carriage, means to set the altering means, means operable by the altering means to vary the force of the power means, case shifting means for the printing instrumentalities. and means operable by the case shifting means to further alter the force of the power means.

11. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a settable type carrier, a hammer to cooperate therewith to print on an interposed work sheet, means including a spring to actuate said hammer, case shifting means for the type shuttle, an anvil to'support said shuttle, a rod to support said anvil, case shifting means including a rock shaft and an arm on said rock shaft to engage said rod, a bell crank one arm of which is connected to said spring, a cam on the other arm of said bell crank, and a pin on said am to engage said cam to actuate the bell crank to vary ing member, and a lever operable by said actuating member and acting directly on said prime mover to alter the condition of the prime mover to thereby vary its force of action on the printing instrumentalities.

13. In a typewriting machine, the combination of a settable type carrier, a hammer to cooperate therewith to print on an interposed worksheet, power means to actuate the hammer, case shifting means for the type carrier, said case shifting means including a key operated rock shaft, and means operable by said rock shaft to vary the force of the power means.

14. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including upper and lower case types, case shifting means, intermittently acting power means to actuate the printing instrumentalities, the power means having stored energy, and means operable by the case shifting means to alter the power means to vary the stored energy therein in accordance with the force required by the printing instrumentalities for the various sizesof the types.

15. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a pivoted printing element, a spring to actuate the printing element, a second spring to assist in actuating the printing instrumentalities, and means to alter the condition of one of said springs to thus alter the force of action on the printing element. v

16. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a pivoted printing element, two power devices acting simultaneously to drive the printing element, and means to alter one of said power devices to change the force of the printing element.

17. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a pivoted printing element, a spring to actuate the printing element, a key lever, another spring associated with the printing element, and means operable by the key lever to act on the second mentioned spring to alter the force of the first mentioned spring and thus vary the blow of the printing element.

18. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a pivoted printing element, two power devices acting simultaneously to actuate the printing element, and means associated with each power device to vary the force thereof independently of the other power device to accordingly vary the blow of the printing element.

19. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a pivoted printing element, carriage feed mechanism, means to alter the extent of feeding movements of said carriage, two power devices to actuate the printing element, means operable by the altering means to vary the force of one of the power devices, and means including a key to alter the force of the other power means.

20. In a typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including a pivoted printing element, two power devices to actuate the printing element, means to vary the force 01' one of the power devices independently of the other one, and means independent of the first mentioned means to vary the force of the other power device. 7

21. In a. typewriting machine, the combination of printing instrumentalities including upper and lower case types, a prime mover normally at rest, means to. effect the actuation of said I prime mover to actuate the printing instrumentalities, case shitting means, and means operable by the case shifting means to alter the prime mover while the latter is at rest to thus vary its force of action on the printing instrumentalities.

FRANK SPALOSS; 

